Blue Jays superstar slugger Vladmir Guerrero, Jr. is carrying on a legacy. And he knows what it would mean for his family if he becomes a World Series champion.
The son of Hall of Famer Vladmir Guerrero, Sr., the younger Vladdy wants to uphold his family name while carving out his own path to greatness. So it isn’t surprising to hear that it was his uncle, former MLB player Wilton Guerrero, was as instrumental in helping him hone his baseball skills as a kid.
“He always put in my mind that I can be better than my dad,” Vladdy Jr. told MLB on FOX analyst David “Big Papi” Ortiz. “But to me, to be better than my dad isn’t easy. He’s in the Hall of Fame.”
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Vladdy has been around baseball royalty since he was a kid. You’ve seen the image of him as a little boy dressed up in an Expos uniform and playing catch with his dad. You’ve seen the phots of him as a kid hanging out with legends such as Ortiz and Pedro Martinez.
But if there is one thing that is truly motivating him, it’s to win the World Series ring that eluded his father.
“When they compare me with my dad, I’m not even close yet. I just play my game and try to give everything that I have to the team,” Vladdy Jr. said. “He played 16 years in the big leagues, he never won one. He showed me how to play the game, he showed me how to respect the game. Play hard, be humble.”
And another thing that’s motivating the superstar to help Toronto win its first World Series since 1993? A team that Ortiz is extremely familiar with.
“This is like the 2004 Boston Red Sox. We believe in each other, everyone knows the part they have to do to win the game. … Everybody here is like a family. Being in this position right now is amazing.”
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